The Bible

Pastor’s Moment: Since I first read the bible, I have always skipped the places where it lists who was the son of who – I just did not understand why those lists are in the bible.

You see several places in the bible are just lists of names:For instance Genesis 5, I Chronicles 1 – 10, Matthew 1 and Luke 3.

Today I just decided to read the list and see if I get the point.

I am sure many of you like me just skip those parts as we look for a psalm to inspire us, or a proverb to encourage us and maybe a great quote from Paul to energize us.

So I have gone through the list of names on Mathew 1.

I notice several minor things like that all the sets have the exact number of names, except one. Two sets of 14 names and one of 13 names – but well I cannot understand why – so I let go.

Then something more serious makes me sit up – the forefathers of Jesus were not Abraham and David only.

Rahab the prostitute was actually a descendant in the line of Jesus; other forefathers of Jesus include Judah and Tamar.

Tamar has a very sad story, a beautiful daughter of Kind David who was raped by her half brother. We will talk about her story tomorrow.

The bible intentionally wants us to know that Jesus was not born in a perfect family, some of those named in the Jesus tree are notorious sinners, victims of brutal crime and even a prostitute.

Easy to agree with an observer who wrote, “Christ’s genealogical register is a record of our guilt, our shame, our lost state, our origin, our humiliation.
It raises the question, who can break the terrible cycle of sin? “Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Rom. 7:24).

In other words where we were born does not matter, a clear focus on our mission can completely rewrite years of a generation.

Remain focused my friend. Be transfixed on the dream work and pray as you keep walking towards that beautiful vision. Rewrite what appears like the fate of your family over the years or your generation since creation.